How Good Is Your Decision Making?

If you've ever been in a meeting where people seem to be discussing different issues, then you've seen what happens when the decision-making environment hasn't been established. It's so important for everyone to understand the issue before preparing to make a decision. This includes agreeing on an objective, making sure the right issue is being discussed, and agreeing on a process to move the decision forward.

You also must address key interpersonal considerations at the very beginning. Have you included all the stakeholders   ? And do the people involved in the decision agree to respect one another and engage in an open and honest discussion   ? After all, if only the strongest opinions are heard, you risk not considering some of the best solutions available.

Another important part of a good decision process is generating as many good alternatives as sensibly possible to consider. If you simply adopt the first solution you encounter, then you're probably missing a great many even better alternatives. Our Creativity Tools page has a comprehensive set of tools and techniques that can help you generate great ideas, including Brainstorming   . 

The stage of exploring alternatives is often the most time-consuming part of the decision-making process. This stage sometimes takes so long that a decision is never made! To make this step efficient, be clear about the factors you want to include in your analysis. There are three key factors to consider:

1. Risk – Most decisions involve some risk. However, you need to uncover and understand the risks   to make the best choice possible.
2. Consequences – You can't predict the implications of a decision with 100 percent accuracy. But you can conduct an Impact Analysis   to identify and evaluate possible consequences.
3. Feasibility – Is the choice realistic and implementable? This factor is often ignored. You usually have to consider certain constraints when making a decision. As part of this evaluation stage   , ensure that the alternative you've selected is significantly better than the status quo.

Making the decision itself can be exciting and stressful. To help you deal with these emotions as objectively as possible, use a structured approached to the decision. This means taking a look at what's most important in a good decision.

Take the time to think ahead and determine exactly what will make the decision "right." This will significantly improve your decision accuracy. Decision Matrix Analysis   and Paired Comparison Analysis   are effective tools for doing this. 

Remember that some things about a decision are not objective. The decision has to make sense on an intuitive, instinctive level   as well. The entire process we have discussed so far has been based on the perspectives and experiences of all the people involved. Now it's time to check the alternative you've chosen for validity and "making sense."

If the decision is a significant one, it's also worth auditing it to make sure that your assumptions are correct, and our article, The Ladder of Inference   , can help you to ensure that that the logical structure you've used to make the decision is sound.

The last stage in the decision-making process involves communicating your choice and preparing to implement it. You can try to force your decision on others by demanding their acceptance. Or you can gain their acceptance by explaining how and why you reached your decision. For most decisions – particularly those that need participant buy-in before implementation – it's more effective to gather support by explaining your decision.

Have a plan for implementing your decision. People usually respond positively to a clear plan – one that tells them what to expect and what they need to do. For more information on developing these types of plans, read our articles about project management   and change management   .